Community non-profit radio is within reach for Colorado Springs. The nonprofit Colorado Media Justice Foundation in the Springs applied for a low-power FM radio broadcasting license last Fall. On Feb. 6 the Federal Communications Commission awarded the group a construction permit.

“Media conglomerates own the vast majority of radio stations in our city. The result is a gaping void in truly local voices on the public airwaves,” Dennis Apuan, chair of the Colorado Media Justice Foundation (CMJF) said in a statement. “Our community radio project is bringing local citizens together to counter the bland sameness and conservative bias of the corporate media monopolies, and awaken our community to its exciting, diverse, creative potential.”

Dave Gardner, director of CMJF, said it will take “a good year to do our capital campaign and get the facility built.” A number of people interested in doing programming, some offering music shows. “I want to see us provide some local current affairs talk programming. The only local talk shows we have (in Colorado Springs) are very conservative and don’t even address local issues.”

Joanne Ostrow has been watching TV since before "reality" required quotation marks. "Hill Street Blues" was life-changing. If Dickens, Twain or Agatha Christie were alive today, they'd be writing for television. And proud of it.